April 5, 2009: The annual Matzah bake by the pizza oven. One of the many community events that make Dufferin Grove a special place. Click to enlarge. More photos taken in the park here.
Catherine Porter writes in Saturday's Toronto Star (Porter: Bureaucratic meddling puts park's magic at risk, Feb. 20, 2010):
A battle is brewing at Dufferin Grove Park.
[...]
At the centre of this battle is Tino DeCastro.
He is the area's beloved recreation supervisor, having worked in the area since 1987. He's the kind of guy who listens to a neighbour's crazy idea, like allowing campfires or building an outdoor oven, or opening a skate rental service, all of which have happened under his tenure. He's a rarity in any bureaucracy. A guy who says, "Let's make it work," when others would say, "It's not permitted by city policy."
All this has made him a beloved man at Dufferin Grove Park.
So the community was shocked to find out last week that he's being reassigned to a new job. Come Monday, he'll supervise building maintenance elsewhere.
DeCastro says he's fine with it. But the folk at Dufferin Grove aren't. They see it as the parks and recreation department's latest attempt to snuff out the programs that have made their rink so special.
"They are trying to destroy Dufferin Grove and I think they will be successful," says Jutta Mason, a local grandmother with twinkling brown eyes who is the force behind much of the magic here. But, she is not alone. After she put out a call on the Dufferin Grove Park website earlier this week, more than 200 letters poured into city ombud Fiona Crean's office, asking for her help. (Crean has ruled that city staffing is not within her purview.)
[...]
Dufferin Park is exceptional. It should be the model for the rest of the city. There's a formula here – the happy combination of an involved community and a welcoming staff willing to form relationships and work together. Those things take time. They aren't measured on an accountant's spreadsheet.
[...]
I've sent a letter to the city's parks and environment committee chair, Councillor Paula Fletcher, asking her to listen to the residents near Dufferin Grove park. Her email address is: councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca. You should, too.
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Read all of Catherine Porter's article.
If you are a Facebook user who cares about Dufferin Grove, you can join this group: Dufferin Grove Park needs your help!
See also this Nov. 21 Toronto Star article about Dufferin Grove, also by Catherine Porter:
The power of soup, skates and simplicity
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